A/N: Tributes: Dedede, Escargoon, Kirby, Tiff, Tuff, Bookem, Samo, Mabel, Doron, Sword Knight, Blade Knight, Tuggle, Gengu, Sir Ebrum, Gus, Kawasaki, and Meta Knight  

The game has begun. Everyone ran to the Korkunopia to get their weapons. Kirby was running away from Korkunopia without getting anything.

Dedede was the first one to grab the bow and arrow. "I got ya now, Kirby!" Dedede said as he aimed the arrow at Kirby. He shot it, but it didn't go as far and hit Doron instead.

"Aww..." Doron groaned and cannon fired.

Samo and Mabel were very lucky that they were able to grab bags and weapon and run away from Korkunopia without facing any violence.

Bookem got into a conflict with Gus. They swung swords at each other when Kawasaki sneaked behind and hit Bookem's back sensor. "Hey! That was unfair!" But there was really no rule in the game excepting eliminating everyone else, so Bookem's cannon fired. Gus took the chance, grabbed a bag, and ran and faced Sir Ebrum.

Gengu and Tuggle ganged up on Kawasaki with swords while Kawasaki had a spear. "Get out of my way!" Kawasaki screamed to get Gengu and Tuggle out of his way as he swung his spear around, but Gengu struck the spear, causing him to let go, and Tuggle hit his chest sensor. "Oh..." Kawasaki groaned as his cannon fired. Gengu and Tuggle exchanged high-five and ran into the forest.

Tiff took the bag, no weapons. Tuff took a sword, no bags. They wanted to form an ally with their dad, but saw Gus hitting his chest sensor, causing his cannon to fire. They quickly ran inside the forest. "Come on Tuff," Tiff said as they ran together, until she bumped into someone, which was Kirby. "Kirby? Didn't you get anything?" Tiff asked as Kirby had nothing.

"Poyo," Kirby replied.

"Okay, we need to avoid other people's sight," Tiff said.

"What are we gonna do, Tiff?" Tuff asked.

"Wait until it clears out, and then we'll get stuff for Kirby," Tiff said.

They hid behind the bushes to see if Korkunopia was cleared out. They saw the fallen tributes, Doron, Bookem, Kawasaki, and Sir Ebrum, going in the truck and getting out of the arena. "Okay, all clear," Tiff said. She, Tuff, and Kirby, ran to get some stuff. Kirby and Tuff each grabbed a bag, and Tiff grabbed a bag of throwing knives. "Okay, let's get out of here!" They all ran back to the forest. 

They ran deep in the forest after running for a long time. Tiff and Tuff needed some break and catch up on their breathing. "Let's stay here... for now..." she panted as she sat on the ground. Tuff and Kirby sat on the ground with her. However, Kirby didn't seem to show any fatigue. 

Gengu and Tuggle were cautiously walking around in the forest, but Sword and Blade got them as they sneaked up. "They, no fair!" Tuggle said as his back sensor rang.

"You guys are officially trained knights!" Gengu complained.

"We are what they call, Career tributes!" Sword said.

"Somaners Career tributes," Blade said.

"Do not resent us," Meta Knight said. "This is part of the game."

"We'll get you someday!" Gengu said.

"We're gonna volunteer next time!" Tuggle said.

"That is if King Dedede decides to do this again," Meta Knight said.

The truck came by to pick them up. Tuggle and Gengu sadly sat in the truck and it drove away from Sword Knight, Blade Knight, and Meta Knight.

********

Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby walked around in the arena. They didn't really have anything to do. They probably walked around for few hours or so. The sun started to set. "I'm started to be hungry," Tuff said.

"Poyo," Kirby said. 

"Is there any emergency food in the backpack?" Tiff asked. They checked every single thing in the backpack. "Aww, not even a single pack of bread or meat or anything! Uggh! Even the water bottle is not filled with any water!"

"Man, this stinks," Tuff said.

"Poyo..." Kirby said sadly.

"Well, in the book, some instant food is usually found on the ground," Tiff said. "Or they're given in Korkunopia. It's first-come-first-serve."

"How do we cook them?" Tuff asked.

"We must make our own fire," Tiff said. "After we're done with the fire, we must put it out, or else other tributes are going to track our location and we'll get caught.

"But we should find food first, Tiff," Tuff said.

"Poyo," Kirby agreed.

"Well, that's true," Tiff said. "But we have no choice but to walk around to see if any canned food is on the ground."

"Aww, we have to walk around in an empty stomach?" Tuff complained.

"Poyo," Kirby was even sadder.

"It's what we have to do in order to survive," Tiff said. "The sensor rings when you're too hungry, too thirsty or too cold to survive."

"All right, let's go," Tuff gave in.

"Poyo..." Kirby said even more sadly.

"Kirby, we'll find some food, I promise," Tiff said.

They started to walk around for a trace of food, or at least water. However, everywhere they stepped was pretty dry. "I think I'm gonna die by thirst... before I die by hunger," Tuff said as he panted.

"Poyo... poyo..." Even Kirby couldn't handle it anymore.

"Let's endure it more guys," Tiff was also tired of walking. Then she smelled a sense of hope. "Huh? I smell water."

Tuff also sniffed. "I do smell water!"

"All right, we're gonna get water! That way!" Tiff said as she pointed at the direction where the smell of water came from. "There it is! Clean water!" Tiff ran faster as she took out the bottle. She quickly filled the bottle with water and poured it inside her mouth.

"Me too!" Tuff said as he grabbed the handful of water, drank some of it, and splashed the rest on his face.

"Poyo!" Kirby filled his bottle with water also. He also drank to moisturize his stinging throat caused by dry air. They all felt so refreshed that they had enough energy to be able to start walking again to find food.

After few minutes of walking, Tiff felt as if she kicked a can. It was surely a food. "Canned meat! Sweet!" Tiff picked it up. "Now the problem is making a fire to cook this..."

"Let's just rub two tree branches against each other," Tuff said. "That was what Patnith did, didn't she?"

"Yeah, but it requires so much stamina and patience," Tiff said. "It's hard to make fire in real life."

"Well, let's try," Tuff said.

"Okay, just get me two dry branches," Tiff said. "Kirby, why don't you try to get some dry leaves?"

"Poyo," Kirby took the order. So Tuff and Kirby got what she asked for.

"All right," Tiff said. "This should do the trick." She rubbed to dry branches against each other. It was quiet for thirty minutes while Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby took turns rubbing branches against each other. When it made sparks, they quickly transferred it over to dry leaves to create fire. They put the can in the fire for the food to cook. By the time they were done cooking and eating, the sun was beginning to fall. Tiff quickly put the fire out. "We need to find somewhere that they're not gonna see us."

"But where?" Tuff asked.

"Well..." Tiff said as she looked around. Conveniently, there was a cave with a very small opening that they can hide in. "Maybe over there?" Tiff asked.

"I guess we can," Tuff said. They agreed to go hide inside the cave. It was completely dark out. After staying quiet in there for a long time. They had nothing to talk about. "It's pretty dark out."

"Yeah, it is," Tuff said.

"Poyo," Kirby said. That was all that they were able to say.

"All right tributes," Waddle Doo's voice came over. "Check the sky out to see the fallen tributes so far." Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby looked outside. First fallen, Doron showed up, then Bookem, then Kawasaki, then Ebrum, then Gengu, and then finally, Tuggle. "Six down. Eleven tributes left, including three of us."

"Let's sleep on it..." Tuff said as he yawned. Kirby was already asleep.

"All right, good night," Tiff said. Tiff quietly fell asleep.

********

Crack! Tiff woke up by the sound. Crack! Crack! Tiff saw what that sound would be. Crack! Crack! Crack! Tiff looked outside the cave and saw the red-ish orange light. The fire this late at night meant that they're waving a flag to come get them. Tiff shook her head and rested her head against the rocky wall in the cave.

At the fire, it was Samo and Mabel. They were warming themselves by the fire. Just then, Meta Knight, Sword Knight, Blade Knight, Dedede, and Escargoon showed up. Meta Knight had his sword prepared.

Both Samo and Mabel's screaming voice rushed inside the cave, startling Tiff. Two cannons fired to signal the fall of Samo and Mabel.

Few moments later, she heard Dedede and Escargoon laughing and cheering.

"Heh-heh-heh! You should've seen their faces!" Dedede laughed.

"They were begging to survive!" Escargoon laughed along with him. "Now we just need to get Gus, Kirby, Tiff, and Tuff, and then you can win, your majesty!"

"We'll do everything we can, your majesty," Sword Knight said.

"Korainus troway," Blade Knight said. 

Meta Knight was silent.

********

Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby woke up with the cannon. "Who was that?" Tuff asked as he gasped.

"It think Gus lost the game," Tiff said. "Samo and Mabel lost last night. Also, Meta Knight, Sword, and Blade is on Dedede's side. We're at a disadvantage. Let's go. If Dedede find this cave, there's no way out."

What really happened was that Gus was sleeping in the bottom of the tree, and Sword Knight found him, and struck his sensor. Gus didn't even notice it.

Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby walked around to find food and more water. "Hey! Over there! I see them!" A voice came from behind. It was Dedede and his squad with Meta Knight.

"Run!" Tiff said and ran away with Tuff and Kirby. The arrow was shot to Tuff's back sensor. "Oh geez! Tuff no!"

"Aww..." Tuff's cannon fired. Tiff started to climb the tree, and Kirby floated along with her.

"Where you goin', girly?!" Dedede asked in a taunting voice.

"That's not gonna help you!" Escargoon taunted after Dedede.

"King's orders! You gotta get down so that he can win!" Sword Knight said.

"Orumus koray!" Blade Knight added.

"Meta Knight! How could you do this to us?!" Tiff angrily said.

Meta Knight remained silent. 

"This is survival! Kirby might ditch you one day during the game!" Dedede said. While Tiff was climbing up the trees, her sword fell down. "Gahh!!" Dedede screamed, but Blade Knight protected him, hitting his head sensor, causing his cannon to fire. Then Kirby's knife fell on Dedede's direction, which Sword Knight blocked, but hit his chest sensor, causing one more cannon to fire to signal his fall. "How-" Dedede couldn't believe it. Sword and Blade lost right in front of his eyes. Meta Knight kept quiet.

"We're gonna get you!" Escargoon said as he tried to climb up. "You two are last before Meta Knight!" But he was not that good at climbing. He barely climbed several inches.

"Ya useless slug!" Dedede said. "I'll get him!" He prepared his arrow and aimed at Kirby.

"Kirby! Suck it up!" Tiff said.

"Poyo!" Kirby said, who inhaled the incoming arrow and transformed into archer Kirby.

"He is now, archer Kirby!" Meta Knight said.

"Say what?!" Dedede said. Before he knew, arrow stuck on Dedede's sensor, then Escargoon's. Two sounds of cannon firing echoed throughout the arena. A truck to pick up Dedede, Escargoon, Sword Knight, and Blade Knight, with Gus still sleeping.

"Kirby, you can win," Tiff said.

"Poyo," Kirby didn't want to make Tiff lose.

"It is all right," Meta Knight said.

"Poyo..." Kirby said and stuck the arrows on both Tiff and Meta Knight's sensors.

After two cannon fired, Waddle Doo's voice rung, "Ladies and gentlemen! May I introduce the victor of the first annual Game of Hunger!"

At places where they showed the game, everyone cheered for Kirby's victory. Another truck came by to get Tiff, Kirby, and Meta Knight out of the arena. "Meta Knight," Tiff said. "Why were you siding with Dedede?"

"It was part of the plan that I made with Sword and Blade," Meta Knight answered.  "It was so that everyone can lose except Kirby and who he is with. So that we can easily eliminate ourselves and the King so that Kirby can win."

"That sounds all right, but why did you want Kirby to win?" Tiff asked.

"To... to allow Kirby to gain self confidence..." Meta Knight said.

"Poyo?" Kirby said.

********

When they returned everyone was cheering for Kirby, even the tributes who lost. Except Dedede.

"Do you want to continue this tradition?" Escargoon asked.

"It's not easy to win, so I'm just gonna stop this," Dedede replied.

"Was that your intention? Just to win? Oh dear..." Escargoon said as he put his hand over his head.

"Congratulations, Kirby," Waddle Too said as he put the victor's crown on Kirby.

"Poyo!" Kirby said excitedly.

"Tiff, you have a guest," Sir Ebrum called.

"Huh, who is it?" Tiff asked.

"Nice to meet you," a woman said. "You must be Tiff."

Tiff gasped. "You're Colding!"

"Yes I am," Colding replied. "I liked your letter, and your game."

"Oh wow, I get to see Rowlin and Colding!" Tiff said excitedly.

"Why yes, Rowlin is a great friend of mine," Colding said. "I love her books, she loves mine, and we're both glad to have a fan like you!"

"It would be an honor to follow your footsteps!" Tiff said.

"Well, keep writing!" Colding said.

"'Scuse me, may I get your autograph?" Dedede asked with his book in his hand.

"Well, of course," Colding said and started to sign his book.

"Thank goodness his majesty now knows how to-" Before Escargoon was able to finish his sentence, Dedede hammered him.

"Keep reading, your majesty," she said as she handed his book back. "And Tiff, if you are interested, Rowlin and I are hosting a creative writing workshop. If you have time, feel free to stop by." She handed her the flyer.

"Wow! I need to go there!" Tiff said happily. "Oh this is the greatest day!"

"Poyo!" Kirby cheered, crown still on his head.